Heat’s Robinson dishes on handling starter/bench shuffle and his Ware/Jovic connection
In his perpetual search for a winning quintet, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has continued to spin the lineup wheel for a third consecutive season, looking for a starting group with long-term sustainability amid the ongoing Jimmy Butler saga.
And during that time, no player has been impacted more than Duncan Robinson (with Haywood Highsmith a close second).
For Robinson, it has reached the point that he can sometimes anticipate being removed from the starting lineup before Spoelstra tells him he’s doing it.
“At this point, I’ve been playing for him for so long, I kind of see a move happening before it comes,” Robinson said. “Nothing surprises me at this point. And I also know he’s a Hall of Fame coach. I’m not questioning any moves he’s making. I’m buying into how to help us win no matter what is of asked of me.”
But Robinson’s latest return to the starting lineup seems likely to be an extended one, because his shooting and passing are particularly valuable in the new starting group with two bigs (Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware).
And Robinson’s body of work — this season and for his entire career — suggest he’s more productive as a starter.
Does he believe he’s better starting? “I try not to give that too much attention or focus because then it can be a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy… Any time a staff or a team trusts you with a role of being out there to start, it obviously means something.”
But Robinson — who is averaging 11.1 points and shooting 37.8 percent on threes — is forthcoming when talking about the emotional swings of frequent roles changes and how he has adapted to them.
Asked if coming off the bench is easier to accept at this point in his career, he admitted: “It’s never easy. We’re all ambitious. We all want what’s best for us as a team, but then we all have our own individual careers. We want that for ourselves as well. You know stuff is going to change. You know the way Spo operates. He’s always pulling triggers, trying to find lineups that work.
“What you can’t do is take it personally and set yourself back because you’re really just doing yourself and the team a disservice if you do.”
Robinson was asked if he has evolved emotionally to accept role changes.
“Immediately reactions and feelings don’t subside whether there’s a role change, promotion or demotion,” he said. “You kind of learn to find a middle ground, not let the swings be as drastic and live in a little equilibrium between the two. I played about every role there is, except maybe ‘star.’ I’ve started, come off the bench, not played, done everything in between. At this point, I’ve seen it all. There is no situation I can be put in where I’m unfamiliar. That definitely helps.”
The splits and statistics suggest Robinson is better as a starter.
In 270 starts for the Heat, he has shot 44.1 percent and 40.8 percent on threes.
In 121 games off the bench for the Heat, he has shot 40.3 percent overall and 35.6 percent on threes.
This year, he has again shot threes much better as a starter (39.2 to 35.7) and shot much better overall as a starter (45.3 to 37.6). His scoring per 48 minutes is very similar in both roles.
After starting between 68 and 72 games for three seasons in a row, Robinson started just one game and 36 games the past two seasons. The yo-yoing continued this season: Robinson came off the bench for the first 11, started the next 19, came off the bench for the next seven during Jimmy Butler’s suspension and started the past five, spanning Butler’s return after his first suspension and the two games Butler missed during his second suspension.
Because of his elite shooting and very good passing skills, Robinson is a natural fit in the starting group with Adebayo and Ware. His assists per game is modest (2.7), but they’re often creative or impactful.
“I pride myself on getting Bam involved when he’s out there,” Robinson said. “He does so much for us defensively that gets covered [by media] but probably not [covered] enough. Anytime we can get him an easy one, that’s like gold for us. How much he exerts on defense, I want to try to make it easy for him. We are both constantly trying to read and figuring where spots in the defense are. Usually good things happen when we’re able to get it back to him.”
And with Ware, “he has so much vertical spacing, not that Bam doesn’t,” Robinson said. “His length and athleticism are really unique. There are moments you can throw it up there to him where they are not many guys in the league like that. He has a really good feel of getting out of screens and knowing when to screen and when to split out. He’s just so much more dynamic when you’re able to get it up to him at the rim.”
So Robinson seems likely to remain a starter for the foreseeable future.
But how ever Spoelstra chooses to use him, “I’m at peace whether I’m starting or coming off the bench. That doesn’t mean I don’t care whether I’m starting or not. I would love to start. I would love to try to help us win. I would love to always be out there. That’s the competitive aspect of me. But I’m at peace regardless of whether I’m starting or not.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 10:02 AM.
